WHILE these sad events
were taking place Iwas in Jerusalem, sometimes in one locality and sometimes in
another; I was quite overcome, my sufferings were intense, and I felt as if about to
expire. During the time ofthe scourging of my adorable Spouse, I sat in the
vicinity, in a part which no Jew dared approach, for fear of defiling himself; but I did
not fear defilement, I was onlyanxious for a drop of our Lords blood to fall
upon me, to purify me. I felt so completely heartbroken that I thought I must die as I
could not relieve Jesus, and each blow which he received drew from me such sobs and moans
that I felt quite astonished at not being driven away. When the executioners took
Jesus into the guardhouse, to crown him with thorns, I longed to follow that I might again
contemplate him in his sufferings. Then it was that the Mother of Jesus, accompanied by
the holy women, approached the pillar and wiped up the blood with which it and the ground
around were saturated. The door of the guard-house was open, and I heard the brutal
laughter of the heartless men who were busily employed in finishing off the crown of
thorns which they had prepared for our Lord. I was too much affected to weep, but I
endeavoured to drag myself near to the place where our Lord was to be crowned with thorns.

219

I once more saw
the Blessed Virgin; her countenance was wan and pale, her eyes red with weeping, but the
simple dignity of her demeanour cannot be described.
Notwithstanding her grief and anguish, notwithstanding the fatigue which she had endured
(for she had been wandering ever since the previous evening through the streets of
Jerusalem, and across the Valley of Josaphat), her appearance was placid and modest, and
not a fold of her dress out of place. She looked majestically around, and her veil fell
gracefully over her shoulders. She moved quietly, and although her heart was a prey to the
most bitter grief, her countenance was calm and resigned. Her dress was moistened by the
dew which had fallen upon it during the night, and by the tears which she had shed in such
abundance; otherwise it was totally unsoiled. Her beauty was great, but indescribable, for
it was superhumana mixture of majesty, sanctity, simplicity, and purity.

The appearance of Mary
Magdalen was totally different; she was taller and more robust, the expression of her
countenance showed greater determination, but its beauty was almost destroyed bythe
strong passions which she had so long indulged, and by the violent repentance and grief
she had since felt. It was painful to look upon her; she was the very picture of despair,
her long dishevelled hair was partly covered by her torn and wet veil, and her appearance
was that of one completely absorbed by woe, and almost beside herself from sorrow. Many of
the inhabitants of Magdalum were standing near, gazing at her with surprise and curiosity,
for they had known her in former days, first in prosperity and afterwards in degradation
and consequent misery. They pointed, they even cast mud upon her, but she saw nothing,
knew nothing, and felt nothing, save her agonising grief.

No sooner did Sister
Emmerich recommence the narrative of her visions on the Passion than she again became
extremely ill, oppressed with fever, and so tormented by violent thirst that her tongue
was perfectly parched and contracted; and on the Monday after Mid-Lent Sunday, she was so
exhausted that it was not without great difficulty, and after many intervals of rest, that
she narrated all which our Lord suffered in his crowning with thorns. She was scarcely
able to speak, because she herself felt every sensation which she described in the
following account:

Pilate harangued the
populace many times during the time of the scourging of Jesus, but they interrupted him
once, and vociferated, He shall be executed, even if we die for it. When Jesus
was led into the guard-house, they all cried out again, Crucify him, crucify
him!

After this there was
silence for a time. Pilate occupied himself in giving different orders to the soldiers,
and the servants of the High Priests brought them some refreshments; after which Pilate,
whose superstitious tendencies made him uneasy in mind, went into the inner part of his
palace in order to consult his gods, and to offer them incense.

When the Blessed
Virgin and the holy women had gathered up the blood of Jesus, with which the pillar and
the adjacent parts were saturated, they left the forum and went into a neighbouring small
house, the owner of which I do not know. John was not, I think, present at the scourging
of Jesus.

A gallery encircled
the inner court of the guard-house where our Lord was crowned with thorns, and the doors
were open. The cowardly ruffians, who were eagerly waiting to gratify their cruelty by
torturing and insulting our Lord, were about fifty in number, and the greatest part slaves
or servants of the jailers and soldiers. The mob gathered round the building, but were
soon displaced by a thousand Roman soldiers, who were drawn up in good order and stationed
there. Although forbidden to leave their ranks, these soldiers nevertheless did their
utmost by laughter and applause to incite the cruel executioners to redouble their
insults; and as public applause gives fresh energy to a comedian, so did their words of
encouragement increase tenfold the cruelty of these men.

221

In the middle of the
court there stood the fragment of a pillar, and on it was placed a very low stool which
these cruel men maliciously covered with sharp flints and bits of broken potsherds. Then
they tore off the garments of Jesus, thereby reopening all his wounds; threw over his
shoulders an old scarlet mantle which barely reached his knees; dragged him to the seat
prepared, and pushed him roughly down upon it, having first placed the crown of thorns
upon his head. The crown of thorns was made of three branches plaited together, the
greatest part of the thorns being purposely turned inwards so as to pierce our Lords
head. Having first placed these twisted branches on his forehead, they tied them tightly
together at the back of his head, and no sooner was this accomplished to their
satisfaction than they put a large reed into his hand, doing all with derisive gravity as
if they were really crowning him king. They then seized the reed, and struck his head so
violently that his eyes were filled with blood; they knelt before him, derided him, spat
in his face, and buffeted him, saying at the same time, Hail, King of the Jews!
Then they threw down his stool, pulled him up again from the ground on which he had
fallen, and reseated him with the greatest possible brutality.

It is quite impossible
to describe the cruel outrages which were thought of and perpetrated by these monsters
under human form. The sufferings of Jesus from thirst, caused by the fever which his
wounds and sufferings had brought on, were intense.* He trembled all over, his flesh was
torn piecemeal, his tongue contracted, and the only refreshment he received was the blood
which trickled from his head on to his parched lips. This shameful scene was protracted a
full half-hour, and the Roman soldiers continued during the whole time to applaud and
encourage the perpetration of still greater outrages.

_______

* These meditations on the sufferings of
Jesus filled Sister Emmerich with such feelings of compassion that she begged of God to
allow her to suffer as he had done. She instantly became feverish and parched with thirst,
and, by morning, was speechless from the contraction of her tongue and other lips. She was
in this state when her friend came toher in the morning, and she looked like a
victim which had just been sacrificed. Those around succeeded, with some difficulty, in
moistening her mouth with a little water, but it was long before she could give any
further details concerning her meditations on the Passion.

THE cruel executioners
then reconducted our Lord to Pilates palace, with the scarlet cloak still thrown
over his shoulders, the crown of thorns on his head, and the reed in his fettered hands.
He was perfectly unrecognisable, his eyes, mouth, and beard being covered with blood, his
body but one wound, and his back bowed down as that of an aged man, while every limb
trembled ashe walked. When Pilate saw him standing at the entrance of his
tribunal, even he (hard-hearted as he usually was) started, and shuddered with horror and
compassion, whilst the barbarous priests and the populace, far from being moved to pity,
continued their insults and mockery. When Jesus had ascended the stairs, Pilate came
forward, the trumpet was sounded to announce that the governor was about to speak, and he
addressed the Chief Priests and the bystanders in the following words: Behold, I
bring him forth to you, that you may know that I find no cause in him.

223

The archers then
led Jesus up to Pilate, that the people might again feast their cruel eyes on him, in the
state of degradation to which he was reduced. Terrible and heartrending, indeed, was the
spectacle he presented, and an exclamation of horror burst from the multitude, followed by
a dead silence, when he with difficulty raised his wounded head, crowned as it was with
thorns, and cast his exhausted glance on the excited throng. Pilate exclaimed, as he
pointed him out to the people: Ecce homo! Behold the man ! The hatred
of the High Priests and their followers was, if possible, increased at the sight of Jesus,
and they cried out, Put him to death; crucify him. Are you not
content? said Pilate. The punishment he has received is, beyond question,
sufficient to deprive him of all desire of making himself king. But they cried out
the more, and the multitude joined in the cry, Crucify him, crucify him!
Pilate then sounded the trumpet to demand silence, and said: Take you him and
crucify him, for I find no cause in him. We have a law, and according to that
law he ought todie, replied the priests, because he made
himself the Son of God. These words, he made himself the Son of
God, revived the fears of Pilate; he took Jesus into another room, and asked
him; Whence art thou? But Jesus made no answer. Speakest thou
not to me? said Pilate; knowest thou not that I have power to crucify
thee, and power to release thee? Thou shouldst not have any power against
me, replied Jesus, unless it were given thee from above; therefore he
that hath delivered me to thee hath the greater sin.'

The undecided, weak
conduct of Pilate filled Claudia Procles with anxiety; she again sent him the pledge, to
remind him of his promise, but he only returned a vague, superstitious answer, importing
that he should leave the decision of the case to the gods. The enemies of Jesus, the High
Priests and the Pharisees, having heard of the efforts which were being made by Claudia to
savehim, caused a report to be spread among the people, that the partisans of our
Lord had seduced her, that he would be released, and then join the Romans and bring about
thedestruction of Jerusalem, and the extermination
of the Jews.

224

Pilate was in such a
state of indecision and uncertainty as to be perfectly beside himself; he did not know
what step to take next, and again addressed himself to the enemies of Jesus, declaring
that he found no crime in him, but they demanded his death still more
clamorously. He then remembered the contradictory accusations which had been brought
against Jesus, the mysterious dreams of his wife, and the unaccountable impression which
the words of Jesus had made on himself, and therefore determined to question him again in
order thus to obtain some information which might enlighten him as to the course he ought
to pursue; he therefore returned to the Praetorium, went alone into a room, and sent for
our Saviour. He glanced at the mangled and bleeding Form before him, and exclaimed
inwardly: Is it possible that he can be God? Then he turned to Jesus, and
adjured him to tell him if he was God, if he was that king who had been promised to the
Jews, where his kingdom was, and to what class of gods he belonged. I can only give the
sense of the words of Jesus, but they were solemn and severe. He told him that his
kingdom was not of this world, and he likewise spoke strongly of the many hidden
crimes with which the conscience of Pilate was defiled; warned him of the dreadful fate
which would be his, if he did not repent; and finally declared that he himself, the Son of
Man, would come at the last day, to pronounce a just judgment upon him.

Pilate was half
frightened and half angry at the words of Jesus; he returned to the balcony, and again
declared that he would release Jesus; but they cried out: if thou release this
man, thou art not Caesars friend. For whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh
against Caesar. Others said that they would accuse him to the Emperor of having
disturbed their festival; that he must make up his mind at once, because they were obliged
to be in the Temple by ten oclock at night. The cry, Crucify him! Crucify
him! resounded on all sides; it re-echoed even from the flatroofs of the
houses near the forum, where many persons were assembled. Pilate saw that all his efforts
were vain, that he could make no impression on the infuriated mob; their yells and
imprecations were deafening, and he began to fear an insurrection. Therefore he took
water, and washed his hands before the people, saying, I am innocent of the blood
of this just man; look you to it. A frightful and unanimous cry then came from
the dense multitude, who were assembled from all parts of Palestine, His blood be
upon us, and upon our children.

WHENEVER, during my
meditations on the Passion of our Lord, I imagine I hear that frightful cry of the Jews, His
blood be upon us, and upon our children, visions of a wonderful and terrible
description display before my eyes at the same moment the effect of that solemn curse. I
fancy I see a gloomy sky covered with clouds, of the colour of blood, from which issue
fiery swords and darts, lowering over the vociferating multitude; and this curse, which
they have entailed upon themselves, appears to me to penetrate even to the very marrow of
their bones, even to the unborn infants. They appear to me encompassed on all sides
by darkness; the words they utter take, in my eyes, the form of black flames, which recoil
upon them, penetrating the bodies of some, and only playing around others.

The last-mentioned
were those who were converted after the death of Jesus, and who were in considerable
numbers, for neither Jesus nor Mary ever ceased praying, in the midst of their sufferings,
for the salvation of these miserable beings.

226

When, during
visions of this kind, I turn my thoughts to the holy souls of Jesus and Mary, and to those
of the enemies of Christ, all that takes place within them is shown me under various
forms. I see numerous devils among the crowd, exciting and encouraging the Jews,
whispering in their ears, entering their mouths, inciting them still more against Jesus,
but nevertheless trembling at the sight of his ineffable love and heavenly patience.
Innumerable angels surrounded Jesus, Mary, and the small number of saints who were there.
The exterior of these angels denotes the office they fill; some represent consolation,
others prayer, or some of the works of mercy.

I likewise often see
consolatory, and at other times menacing voices, under the appearance of bright or
coloured gleams of light, issuing from the mouths of these different apparitions; and I
see the feelings of their souls, their interior sufferings, and in a word, their every
thought, under the appearance of dark or bright rays. I then understand everything
perfectly, but itis impossible for me to give an explanation to others; besides
which, I am so ill, and so totally overcome by the grief which I feel for my own sins and
for those of the world, I am so overpowered by the sight of the sufferings of our Lord,
that I can hardly imagine how itis possible for me to relate events with the
slightest coherency. Many of these things, but more especially the apparitions of devils
and of angels, which are related by other persons who have had visions of the Passion of
Jesus Christ, are fragments of symbolical interior perceptions of this species, which vary
according to the state of the soul of the spectator. Hence the numerous contradictions,
because many things are naturally forgotten or omitted.

Sister Emmerich
sometimes spoke on these subjects, either during the time of her visions on the Passion,
or before they commenced; but she more often refused to speak at all concerning them, for
fear of causing confusion in the visions. It is easy to see how difficult itmust
have been for her, in the midst of such a variety of apparitions, to preserve any degree
of connection in her narrations. Who can therefore be surprised at finding some omissions
and confusion in her descriptions?

PILATE, who did not
desire to know the truth, but was solely anxious to get out of the difficulty without harm
to himself, became more undecided than ever; his conscience whispered Jesus is
innocent; his wife said, he is holy; his superstitious feelings made him
fear that Jesus was the enemy of his gods; and his cowardice filled him with dread lest
Jesus, if he was a god, should wreak his vengeance upon his judge. He was both irritated
and alarmed at the last words of Jesus, and he made another attempt for his release; but
the Jews instantly threatened to lay an accusation against him before the Emperor. This
menace terrified him, and he determined to accede to their wishes, although firmly
convinced in his own mind of the innocence of Jesus, and perfectly conscious that by
pronouncing sentence of death upon him he should violate every law of justice, besides
breaking the promise he had made to his wife in the morning. Thus did he sacrifice Jesus
to the enmity of the Jews, and endeavour to stifle remorse by washing his hands before the
people, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just man; look you to
it. Vainly dost thou pronounce these words, O Pilate I for his blood is on thy
head likewise; thou canst not wash his blood from thy soul, as thou dost from thy hands.

Those fearful words, His
blood be upon us and upon our children,had scarcely ceased to resound,
when Pilate commenced his preparations for passing sentence. He called for the dress which
he wore on state occasions, put a species of diadem, set in precious stones, on his head,
changed his mantle, and caused a staff to be carried before him. He was surrounded with
soldiers, preceded by officers belonging to the tribunal, and followed by Scribes, who
carried rolls of parchments and books used for inscribing names and dates. One man walked
in front, who carried the trumpet. The procession marched in this order from Pilates
palace to the forum, where an elevated seat, used on these particular occasions, was
placed opposite to the pillar where Jesus was scourged. This tribunal was called Gabbatha;
it was a kind of round terrace, ascended by means of staircases; on the top was a seat for
Pilate, and behind this seat a bench for those in minor offices, while a number of
soldiers were stationed round the terrace and upon the staircases. Many of the Pharisees
had left the palace and were gone to the Temple, sothat Annas; Caiphas, and
twenty-eight priests alone followed the Roman governor on to the forum, and the two
thieves were taken there at the time that Pilate presented our Saviour to the people,
saying: Ecce homo!

228

Our Lord was still
clothed in his purple garment, his crown of thorns upon his head, and his hands manacled,
when the archers brought him up to the tribunal, and placed him between the two
malefactors. As soon as Pilate was seated, he again addressed the enemies of Jesus, in
these words, Behold your King!

But the cries of Crucify
him! Crucify him!resounded on all sides.

Shall I crucify
yourKing? said Pilate.

We have no King
but Caesar! responded the High Priests.

Pilate found itwas
utterly hopeless to say anything more, and therefore commenced his preparations for
passing sentence. The two thieves had received their sentence of crucifixion some time
before; but the High Priests had obtained a respite for them, in order that our Lord might
suffer the additional ignominy of being executed with two criminals of the most infamous
description. The crosses of the two thieves were by their sides; that intended for
our Lord was not brought, because he was not as yet sentenced to death.

229

The Blessed
Virgin, who had retired to some distance after the scourging of Jesus, again approached to
hear the sentence of death pronounced upon her Son and her God. Jesus stood in the midst
of the archers, at the foot of the staircase leading up to the tribunal. The trumpet was
sounded to demand silence, and then the cowardly, the base judge, in a tremulous undecided
voice, pronounced the sentence of death on the Just Man. The sight of the cowardice
and duplicity of this despicable being, who was nevertheless puffed up with pride at his
important position, almost overcame me, and the ferocious joy of the executionersthe
triumphant countenances of the High Priests, added to the deplorable condition to which
our loving Saviour was reduced, and the agonising grief of his beloved Motherstill
further increased my pain. I looked up again, and saw the cruel Jews almost devouring
their victim with their eyes, the soldiers standing coldly by, and multitudes of horrible
demons passing to and fro and mixing in the crowd. I felt that I ought to have been in the
place of Jesus, my beloved Spouse, for the sentence would not then have been unjust; but I
was so overcome with anguish, and my sufferings were so intense, that I cannot exactly
remember all that I did see. However, I will relate all as nearly as I can.

After a long preamble,
which was composed principally of the most pompous and exaggerated eulogy of the Emperor
Tiberias, Pilate spoke of the accusations which had been brought against Jesus by the High
Priests. He said that they had condemned him to death for having disturbed the public
peace, and broken their laws by calling himself the Son of God and King of the Jews; and
that the people had unanimously demanded that their decree should be carried out.
Notwithstanding his oft repeated conviction of the innocence of Jesus, this mean and
worthless judge was not ashamed of saying that he likewise considered their decision a
just one, and that he should therefore pronounce sentencewhich he did in these
words: I condemn Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews, to be crucified ;
and he ordered the executioners to bring the cross. I think I remember likewise that he
took a long stick in his hands, broke it,and threw the fragments at the feet of
Jesus.

230

On hearing these
words of Pilate the Mother of Jesus became for a few moments totally unconscious, for she
was now certain that her beloved Son must die the most ignominious and the most painful of
all deaths. John and the holy women carried her away, to prevent the heartless beings who
surrounded them from adding crime to crime by jeering at her grief; but no sooner
did she revive a little than she begged to be taken again to each spot which had been
sanctified by the sufferings of her Son, in order to bedew them with her tears; and thus
did the Mother of our Lord, in the name of the Church, take possession of those holy
places.

Pilate then wrote down
the sentence, and those who stood behind him copied it out three times. The words which he
wrote were quite different from those he had pronounced; I could see plainly that his mind
was dreadfully agitatedan angel of wrath appeared to guide his hand. The substance
of the written sentence was this: I have been compelled, for fear of an
insurrection, to yield to the wishes of the High Priests, the Sanhedrim, and the people,
who tumultuously demanded the death of Jesus of Nazareth, whom they accused of having
disturbed the public peace, and also of having blasphemed and broken their laws.I
have given him up to them to be crucified, although their accusations appeared to be
groundless. I have done so for fear of their alleging to the Emperor that I encourage
insurrections, and cause dissatisfaction among the Jews by denying them the rights of
justice.

He then wrote the
inscription for the cross, while his clerks copied out the sentence several times, that
these copies might be sent to distant parts of the country.

The High Priests were
extremely dissatisfied at the words of the sentence, which they said were not true; and
they clamorously surrounded the tribunal to endeavour to persuade him to alter the
inscription, and not to put King of the Jews,but that he said, I am the
King of the Jews.

Pilate was vexed, and
answered impatiently, What Ihave written I have written !

231

They were likewise
anxious that the cross of our Lord should not be higher than those of the two thieves, but
itwas necessary foritto be so, because there would otherwise nothave been sufficient place for Pilates inscription; they therefore endeavoured
to persuade him not to have this obnoxious inscription put up at all. But Pilate was
determined, and their words made no impression upon him; the cross was therefore obliged
to be lengthened by afresh bit of wood. Consequently the form ofthecross
was peculiarthe two arms stood out like thebranches of a tree growing from
the stem, and the shape was very like that of the letter Y, with the lower part lengthened
so as to rise between thearms, which had been put on separately, and were thinner
than the body of the cross. A piece of wood was likewise nailed at thebottom of
the cross for the feet to rest upon.

During the time
that Pilate was pronouncing the iniquitous sentence, I saw his wife, Claudia Procles, send
him back the pledge which he had given her, and in the evening she left his palace and
joined the friends of our Lord, who concealed her in a subterraneous vault in the house of
Lazarus at Jerusalem. Later in the same day, I likewise saw a friend of our Lord engrave
the words, Judex injustus, and the name of Claudia Procles, on a green-looking
stone, which was behind the terrace called Gabbathathis stone is still to be found
in the foundations of a church or house at Jerusalem, which stands on the spot formerly
called Gabbatha. Claudia Procles became a Christian, followed St. Paul, and became his
particular friend.

No sooner had Pilate
pronounced sentence than Jesus was given up into the hands of the archers, and the clothes
which he had taken off in the court of Caiphas were brought for him to put on again. I
think some charitable persons had washed them, for they looked clean. The ruffians who
surrounded Jesus untied his hands for his dress to be changed, and roughly dragged off the
scarlet mantle with which they had clothed him in mockery, thereby reopening all his
wounds; he put on his own linen under-garment with trembling hands, and they threw his
scapular over his shoulders. As the crown of thorns was too large and prevented the
seamless robe, which his Mother had made for him, from going over his head, they
pulled itoff violently, heedless of the pain thus inflicted upon him. His white
woollen dress was next thrown over his shoulders, and then his wide belt and cloak. After
this, they again tied round his waist a ring covered with sharp iron points, and to itthey
fastened the cords by which he was led, doing all with their usual brutal cruelty.

232

The two thieves were
standing, one on the right and the other on the left of Jesus, with their hands tied and a
chain round their necks; they were covered with black and livid marks, the effects of the
scourging of the previous day. The demeanour of the one who was afterwards converted was
quiet and peaceable, while that of the other, on the contrary, was rough and insolent, and
he joined the archers in abusing and insulting Jesus, who looked upon his two companions
with love and compassion, and offered up his sufferings for their salvation. The archers
gathered together all the implements necessary for the crucifixions, and prepared
everything for the terrible and painful journey to Calvary.

Annas and Caiphas at
last left off disputing with Pilate, and angrily retired, taking with them the sheets of
parchment on which the sentence was written; they went away in haste, fearing that they
should get to the Temple too late for the Paschal sacrifice. Thus did the High Priests,
unknowingly to themselves, leave the true Paschal Lamb. They went to a temple made of
stone, to immolate and to sacrifice that lamb which was but a symbol, and they left the
true Paschal Lamb, who was being led to the Altar of the Cross by the cruel executioners;
they were most careful not to contract exterior defilement, while their souls were
completely defiled by anger, hatred, and envy. They had said, His blood be upon
us and upon our children ! And by these words they had performed the ceremony,
and had placed the hand of the sacrificer upon the head of the Victim. Thus were the two
paths formedthe one leading to the altar belonging to the Jewish law, the other
leading to the Altar of Grace: Pilate, that proud and irresolute pagan, that slave of the
world, who trembled in the presence of the true God, and yet adored his false gods, took a
middle path, and returned to his palace.

WHEN Pilate left the
tribunal a portion of the soldiers followedhim, and were drawn up in files before
the palace; a few accompanying the criminals. Eight-and-twenty armed Pharisees came to the
forum on horseback, in order to accompany Jesus to the place of execution, and among these
were the six enemies of Jesus, who had assisted in arresting him in the Garden of Olives.
The archers led Jesus into the middle of the court, the slaves threw down the cross at his
feet, and the two arms were forthwith tied on to the centre piece. Jesus knelt down by its
side, encircled it with his sacred arms, and kissed itthree times, addressing, at
the same time, a most touching prayer of thanksgiving to his Heavenly Father for that work
of redemption which he had begun. It was the custom among pagans for the priest to embrace
a new altar, and Jesus in like manner embraced his cross, that august altar on which the
bloody and expiatory sacrifice was about to be offered. The archers soon made him rise,
and then kneel down again, and almost without any assistance, place the heavy cross on his
right shoulder, supporting its great weight with his right hand. I saw angels come to his
assistance, otherwise he would have been unable even to raise itfrom the ground.
Whilst he was on his knees, and still praying, the executioners put the arms of the
crosses, which were a little curved and not as yet fastened to the centre pieces, on the
backs of the two thieves, and tied their hands tightly to them. The middle parts of the
crosses were carried by slaves, as the transverse pieces were not to be fastened to them
until just before the time of execution. The trumpet sounded to announce the
departure of Pilates horsemen, and one of the Pharisees belonging to the escort came
up to Jesus, who was still kneeling, and said, Rise, we have had a sufficiency of
thy fine speeches; rise and set off. They pulled him roughly up, for he was totally
unable to rise without assistance, and he then felt upon his shoulders the weight of that
cross which we must carry after him, according to his true and holy command to follow him.
Thus began that triumphant march of the King of Kings, a march so ignominious on earth,
and so glorious in heaven.

234

By means of ropes, which the executioners had fastened to the foot of the cross, two
archers supported it to preventits getting entangled in anything, and four other
soldiers took hold of the ropes, which they had fastened to Jesus underneath his clothes.
The sight of our dear Lord trembling beneath his burden, reminded meforcibly ofIsaac, when he carried the wood destined for his own sacrifice up the mountain. The
trumpet of Pilate was sounded as the signal for departure, for he himself intended togo
to Calvary at the head of a detachment of soldiers, to prevent the possibility of an
insurrection. He was on horseback, in armour, surrounded by officers and a body of
cavalry, and followed by about three hundred of the infantry, who came from the frontiers
of Italy and Switzerland. The procession was headed by a trumpeter, who sounded his
trumpet at every corner and proclaimed the sentence. A number of women and children walked
behind the procession with ropes, nails, wedges, and baskets filled with different
articles, in their hands; others, who were stronger, carried poles, ladders, and the
centre pieces of the crosses of the two thieves, and some of the Pharisees followed on
horseback. A boy who had charge of the inscription which Pilate had written for the cross,
likewise carried the crown of thorns (which had been taken off the head of Jesus) at the
end of a long stick, but he did not appear to be wicked and hard-hearted like the rest.
Next I beheld our Blessed Saviour and Redeemerhis bare feet swollen and
bleedinghis back bent as though he were

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about to sink under the heavy weight of
the cross, and his whole body covered with wounds and blood. He appeared to be half
fainting from exhaustion (having had neither refreshment nor sleep since the supper of the
previous night), weak from loss of blood, and parched with thirst produced by fever and
pain. He supported the cross on his right shoulder with his right hand, the left hung
almost powerless at his side, but he endeavoured now and then to hold up his long garment
to prevent his bleeding feet from getting entangled in it. The four archers who held the
cords which were fastened round his waist, walked at some distance from him, the two in
front pulled him on, and the two behind dragged him back, so that he could not get on at
all without the greatest difficulty. His hands were cut by the cords with which they had
been bound; his face bloody and disfigured; his hair and beard saturated with blood; the
weight of the cross and of his chains combined to press and make the woollen dress cleave
tohis wounds, and reopen them: derisive and heartless words alone were addressed
to him, but he continued to pray for his persecutors, and his countenance bore an
expression of combined love and resignation. Many soldiers under arms walked by the side
of the procession, and after Jesus came the two thieves, who were likewise led, the arms
of their crosses, separate from the middle, being placed upon their backs, and their hands
tied tightly to the two ends. They were clothed in large aprons, with a sort of sleeveless
scapular which covered the upper part of their bodies, and they had straw caps upon their
heads. The good thief was calm, but the other was, on the contrary, furious, and never
ceased cursing and swearing. The rear of the procession was brought up by the remainder of
the Pharisees on horseback, who rode to and fro to keep order. Pilate and his courtiers
were at a certain distance behind; he was in the midst of his officers clad in armour,
preceded by a squadron of cavalry, and followed by three hundred foot soldiers; he crossed
the forum, and then entered one of the principal streets, for he was marching through the
town in order to prevent any insurrection among the people.

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Jesus was conducted by a narrow back Street, that
the procession might not inconvenience the persons who were going to the Temple, and
likewise in order that Pilate and his band might have the whole principal street entirely
to themselves. The crowd had dispersed and started in different directions almost
immediately after the reading of the sentence, and the greatest part of the Jews either
returned to their own houses, or to the Temple, to hasten their preparations for
sacrificing the Paschal Lamb; but a certain number were still hurrying on in disorder to
see the melancholy procession pass; the Roman soldiers prevented all persons from joining
the procession, therefore the most curious were obliged to go round by back streets, or to
quicken their steps so as to reach Calvary before Jesus. The street through which they led
Jesus was both narrow and dirty; he suffered much in passing through it, because the
archers were close and harassed him. Persons stood on the roofs of the houses, and at the
windows, and insulted him with opprobrious language; the slaves who were working in the
streets threw filth and mud at him: even the children, incited by his enemies, had filled
their pinafores with sharp stones, which they threw down before their doors as he passed,
that he might be obliged to walk over them.

THE street of which we
have just spoken, after turning a little to the left, became rather steep, as also wider,
a subterranean aqueduct proceeding from Mount Sion passed under it, and in its vicinity
was a hollow which was often filled with water and mud after rain, and a large stone was
placed in its centre to enable persons to pass over more easily. When Jesus reached this
spot, his strength was perfectly exhausted; he was quite unable to move; and as the
archers dragged and pushed him without showing the slightest compassion, he fell quite
down against this stone, and the cross fell by his side. The cruel executioners were
obliged to stop, they abused and struck him unmercifully, but the whole procession came to
a standstill, which caused a degree of confusion. Vainly did he hold out his hand for some
one to assist him to rise: Ah! he exclaimed, all will soon be
over; and he prayed for his enemies. Lift him up, said the Pharisees,
otherwise he will die in our hands. There were many women and children
following the procession; the former wept, and the latter were frightened. Jesus, however,
received support from above, and raised his head; but these cruel men, far from
endeavouring to alleviate his sufferings, put the crown of thorns again on his head before
they pulled him out of the mud, and no sooner was he once more on his feet than they
replaced the cross on his back. The crown of thorns which encircled his head increased his
pain inexpressibly, and obliged him to bend on one side to give room for the cross, which
lay heavily on his shoulders.

THE afflicted Mother
of Jesus had left the forum, accompanied by John and some other women, immediately after
the unjust sentence was pronounced. She had employed herself in walking to many of the
spots sanctified by our Lord and watering them with her tears; but when the sound of the
trumpet, the rush of people, and the clang of the horsemen announced that the procession
was about to start for Calvary, she could not resist her longing desire to behold her
beloved Son once more, and she begged John to take her to some place through which he must
pass. John conducted her to a palace, which had an entrance in that street which Jesus
traversed after his first fall; it was, I believe, the residence of the high priest Caiphas, whose tribunal was in the division called Sion. John asked and obtained leave
from a kind-hearted servant to stand at the entrance mentioned above, with Mary and
her companions. The Mother of God was pale, her eyes were red with weeping, and she was
closely wrapped in a cloak of a bluish-grey colour. The clamour and insulting speeches of
the enraged multitude might be plainly heard; and a herald at that moment proclaimed in a
loud voice, that three criminals were about to be crucified. The servant opened the door;
the dreadful sounds became more distinct every moment; and Mary threw herself on her
knees. After praying fervently, she turned to John and said, Shall I remain? ought I
to go away? shall I have strength to support such a sight? John made answer,
If you do not remain to see him pass, you will grieve afterwards. They
remained therefore near the door, with their eyes fixed on the procession, which was still
distant, but advancing by slow degrees. When those who were carrying the instruments for
the execution approached, and the Mother of Jesus saw their insolent and triumphant looks,
she could not control her feelings, but joined her hands as if to implore the help of
heaven; upon which one among them said to his companions: What woman is that who is
uttering such lamentations? Another answered: She is the Mother of the
Galilean. When the cruel men heard this, far from being moved to compassion, they
began to make game of the grief of this most afflicted Mother: they pointed at her, and
one of them took the nails which were to be used for fastening Jesus to the cross, and
presented them to her in an insulting manner; but she turned away, fixed her eyes upon
Jesus, who was drawing near, and leant against the pillar for support, lest she should
again faint from grief, for her cheeks were as pale as death, and her lips almost blue.
The Pharisees on horseback passed by first, followed by the boy who carried the
inscription. Then came her beloved Son. He was almost sinking under the heavy weight of
his cross, and his head, still crowned with thorns, was drooping in agony on his shoulder.
He cast a look of compassion and sorrow upon his Mother, staggered, and fell for the
second time upon his hands and knees. Mary was perfectly agonised at this sight; she
forgot all else; she saw neither soldiers nor executioners; she saw nothing but her
dearly-loved Son; and, springing from the doorway into the midst of the group who were
insulting and abusing him, she threw herself on her knees by his side and embraced him.
The only words I heard were, Beloved Son! and Mother! but I do not
know whether these words were really uttered, or whether they were only in my own mind.

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A momentary confusion
ensued. John and the holy women endeavoured to raise Mary from the ground, and the archers
reproached her, one of them saying, What hast thou to do here, woman? He would not
have been in our hands if he had been better brought up.

A few of the soldiers
looked touched; and, although they obliged the Blessed Virgin to retire to the doorway,
not one laid hands upon her. John and the women surrounded her as she fell half fainting
against a stone, which was near the doorway, and upon which the impression of her hands
remained. This stone was very hard, and was afterwards removed to the first Catholic
church built in Jerusalem, near the Pool of Bethsaida, during the time that St. James the
Less was Bishop of that city. The two disciples who were with the Mother of Jesus carried
her into the house, and the door was shut. In the meantime the archers had raised Jesus,
and obliged him to carry the cross in a different manner. Its arms being unfastened from
the centre, and entangled in the ropes with which he was bound, he supported them on his
arm, and by this means the weight of the body of the cross was a little taken off,as
it dragged more on the ground. I saw numbers of persons standing about in groups, the
greatest part amusing themselves by insulting our Lord in different ways, but a few veiled
females were weeping.